I am eighteen years old. I have been obsessed with tattoo's and piercing's since I was twelve years old. I got my first at sixteen but due to my mother being extremely strict and totally conservative I couldn't get my beautiful monroe until I turned eighteen. I actually found out about the monroe from bmezine.com. I live in a tiny town with way to many old people and piercing's aren't exactly common. When I saw the piercing on this site I fell in love.
At A Glance Author Ms. Beth Contact elizabethmcguire06@yahoo.com When A year ago Artist val Studio A & A Ink Location Troy, Ohio It was the most beautiful, feminine, unique piercing and I knew it was perfect for me. I have always been "different" but I don't see that in a negative way...I think being "different" is simply being unique. I love being unique. Even though I knew that other girls had this piercing it didn't matter. I am the only one that looks the way I look and I am the only one who has the piercings I have in the places I have them.
Piercings are that amazing thing that make all of us unique. If you decide to get a monroe/madonna then get it because you fell in love with it like I did. When I officially decided to get my monroe I pictured exactly where I wanted it and I knew it would be perfect on me.
I did a lot of research through this site on aftercare, pain, placement.
My best friend of 15 years (yeah do the math)took me to my favorite place in the world, A & A Ink in Troy, Ohio where I got my first piercing. Val greeted me when I walked in the door. She is so beautiful. She has many piercings and tattoo's. What I love most about her is the way she runs her shop. She is extremely professional and most of all I trust her.
I went in and told her what I wanted to get done. She gave me a booklet and explained aftercare. I signed the paperwork and then she took me into the back room to be pierced. I watched her sanitize EVERYTHING and open all the tools brand new. I swished with some potent mouthwash. She asked which side I wanted to get it on. I told her the right because that was where I always pictured it. I have no logic for it that is just where i wanted it.
Some say that if it is on the right it is a Madonna. If it's on the left it is a Monroe. I asked Val about that and she said, "Who cares it's what you want it to be." I call mine a monroe just because I love marilyn a little more than I love madonna. My grandma is obsessed with Marilyn Monroe and she passed that love onto me. My grandma loves my piercing. It's amazing because she doesn't really like piercing's but she loves mine. It's almost as if it is a tribute to her. I'm getting side-tracked. Back to the good stuff.
Then she cleaned the area and marked it. She told me to look and see if I liked the placement and it was perfect. I almost cried right then because I was so happy. She clamped my lip. I closed my eyes. She told me to breathe in and out slowly. Then she used the oldest trick in the book breathe in then exhale slowly...there was a small pinch during the exhale...seriously didn't even hurt. She asked if I was doing ok. She put in the jewelry and told me to take a look. It did swell a little but I didn't care I was all smiles. I love that Val talks you through everything as she is doing it and she always asks how your doing and if you are ok. I ran out to the waiting room and showed Brittany. I was so happy...I realized this is how you get addicted to piercings. I gave Val my money and told her I would be back soon. Sure enough a few months later I went back and got my nose done. Now I'm thinking about getting my nipples done...wish me luck. I went home and showed it to my mother...she didn't become outraged like I assumed she would..she just said, "oh that's different." My dad who is awesome told me that it just enhanced my beauty and as long as it made me happy he was happy. Amazingly no one in my town has this piercing so I do get "looks" now and then but I don't care. I just smile. I even worked at Big Lots at the time and had this ancient woman ask me what the back looked like. I showed her and she exclaimed, "oh well thats neat, I just didn't know if it was like the back of an earring or what!" I could never in a million years regret getting this wonderful piercing.
I love my monroe...I don't think I will ever take it out. If you decide that this piercing is right for you then I definitely recommend it. It's amazing and you will fall in love with yours too.